Apart from the S-tier skill card rewarded by the system, Ye Chen's greatest strength lay in his nimble positioning.
This was something he had mastered after watching thousands of football matches.
When he passed the ball to Januzaj, he had already identified the critical scoring position.
If he made a run between the two central defenders, Luke and McGinty, their imposing builds would have easily outmuscled him, leaving him no chance to shoot.
Instead, he sprinted towards the far post.
Luke and McGinty, distracted by Januzaj, completely overlooked Ye Chen's rapid advance.
To be fair, few on the field noticed Ye Chen's movement, except Solskjær.
Being a former striker himself, Solskjær instinctively focused on players who positioned themselves in threatening spots.
But when he glanced at the pass, he concluded:
"Ye won't reach that ball. It's too far forward!"
Just as Solskjær made his judgment, Ye Chen's toe brushed the ball.
The deflected ball sailed straight into the net, leaving goalkeeper Jonathan frozenâhe simply had no time to react.
Could anyone blame him?
Jonathan got up furiously and roared at his defenders, "What were you doing? Who were you marking?"
Luke was too scared to respond, but McGinty shot back, "They outplayed us on the wing! What could we do?"
Losers often look for excuses.
Jonathan, seething with rage, shot a glare at Ye Chen.
But Ye had already risen to his feet and dashed toward Januzaj, celebrating their seamless teamwork.
Jonathan felt a twinge of reliefâthankfully, he hadn't directed his earlier anger at Ye Chen. Otherwise... it would've been truly humiliating.
Ye Chen and Januzaj weren't the only ones celebrating; the entire B-team swarmed them.
After all, the substitute team had never led the A-team by two goals in an intra-squad match before.
Ye Chen hugged Januzaj tightly, "That was a perfect pass, Adnan!"
Januzaj laughed, "Your goal was insane, Ye! We're the dream duo!"
"Brilliant, Ye!"
"You're a god today!"
"That positioning was out of this world!"
"You've already scored twice!"
The B-team players piled on praise, while across the field, A-team forward Byrne stood grim-faced.
Ye Chen was undeniably on fire today.
But so what?
"When I go all out, I'll definitely outshine him," Byrne thought.
After all, I'm the main striker for Manchester United U18!
Meanwhile, Solskjær scribbled in his notebook:
"Ye Chen: impressive positioning and long shots."
Clearly, Ye Chen had caught his attention.
Returning to the center circle, Ye noticed Byrne's scowl and chuckled, "Hey, looks like you'll need to step up!"
Byrne squinted, replying coldly, "The one who laughs last is the real winner."
"Well said. I'll remember that."
The game resumed, and Ye Chen adopted a new strategy: sticking to Byrne like glue.
Whether Byrne was on the ball or not, Ye shadowed him relentlessly.
"What's wrong with you? I don't even have the ball, and you're marking me?" Byrne barked angrily.
"My playstyle, my choice. Unless I've committed a foul, why should you care?"
Byrne was the offensive core of the A-team. Their strategy often relied on long balls to him, given his height and aerial prowess.
But with Ye Chen sticking to him like a shadow, the passes couldn't get through, and the A-team's offense stalled.
By halftime, the A-team remained scoreless, while the B-team held their two-goal lead.
During the 10-minute break, the A-team huddled in frustration, while the B-team reveled in their surprising advantage.
Having never led the A-team by two goals, it felt like a dream.
"Hey, guys, quiet down for a moment!" Ye Chen clapped his hands to draw attention.
"Byrne told me earlier, 'The one who laughs last is the real winner.' What do you think about that?"
The team burst into laughter.
From afar, Byrne overheard and narrowed his eyes, anger boiling inside him.
Ye Chen, unfazed, gestured for calm again.
"I actually think he's right. Although we're two goals ahead, luck played a role, and the A-team is slightly stronger than us. The second half will be our real test."
"What should we do then?" Januzaj asked curiously.
"Do you guys watch Mourinho's matches?" Ye Chen asked.
The players nodded eagerly. After all, the "Special One" was a world-class coach, currently managing Real Madrid.
Ye nodded back, "Real Madrid's players are world-class, but they still defend fiercely against Barcelona. Let's treat the A-team like Barça and ourselves as Madrid. We hold the line for the next 30 minutes!"
"Pure defense? That's tough..." Tyler Blackett frowned.
Ye Chen smiled, "Did you forget how we scored our second goal?"
Leaning in, he lowered his voice and outlined his plan.
With Januzaj's exceptional speedâamong the fastest in the youth teamâhe was perfect for counterattacks. Ye himself wasn't far behind in pace, making him a valuable asset in fast breaks.
But the team's focus would still be defense.
The back four, especially, were instructed not to venture past the halfway line.
The second half began, and the A-team adjusted their approach, abandoning intricate ground play for an aggressive aerial assault.
Byrne, standing at 183 cm, was a towering presence in the youth team. Paired with the speedy Pearson, they formed a classic "big man-small man" combo.
Seven minutes into the half, Byrne broke through with a towering header, muscling past Ye Chen to score.
After the goal, Byrne didn't celebrate. Instead, he walked over, extended a hand to help Ye up, and sneered,
"Go back to China, trash belongs in the garbage heap!"